The honest depiction of young sexuality may have been controversial in Ireland, but it’s an amazing showcase of Jones’ commitment to emotional authenticity. This brief peck is then perfectly punctuated with a wonderfully understated “that was nice.” In a show where almost all conflicts could have been resolved if the two lovers had just said what they were really feeling, this mundane reaction speaks volumes. Is there a more perfect distillation of the pained awkward young romance than their first kiss? Edgar-Jones perfectly plays the difficult balancing act of trying to avoid seeming too uncharacteristically enthusiastic whilst also dying to finally lock lips with Connell. The salvation and torment of her relationship with Connell provides the emotional core of the miniseries, and Edgar-Jones captured this pleasure and pain with unbelievable grace. Playing Marianne, a strong-minded, intelligent loner, Edgar-Jones found a perfect balance between self-loathing and dignity, the fractured mindset of someone who knows they deserve better but has had the opposite compounded by her abusive family. Had this accent been in any way inauthentic, the show would have been over before it had even begun – especially among a cast of otherwise actual Irish performers. This makes Jones’ success even more extraordinary. Fox’s twee nonsense in Back to the Future 3? Or power couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s ear-aching insults in Far and Away? Even the legendary Orson Welles’ utter failure with the accent in The Lady from Shanghai? It seems the larger the figure the greater the failure when it comes to this particular act of elocutionary hubris. One of the most common indignities the Irish tend to suffer in pop culture is the abysmal accent work so often utilised by Hollywood - who could forget (or forgive) Michael J. Male lead Paul Mescal impressed with his vulnerable portrayal of Connell, a young GAA star turned literary academic, but it was Daisy Edgar-Jones who managed to achieve the impossible: she portrayed a troubled young Irishwoman with such unbelievable conviction and authenticity that her London origins were completely obscured.
Is it any wonder that a show about reconciling emotional distance between young people became such a hit during this worldwide low point for romance? Although only in the infancy of the global coronavirus pandemic, during the initial lockdowns and distancing measures so many were grappling with this new approach to life, one which minimised direct human connections. When Normal People debuted in April 2020, it couldn’t have possibly come at a less normal time. She has been a member of the National Youth Theatre since she was 15, starring in Albion, Mike Bartlett’s startling Brexit-critique stage play in early 2020.
A guest spot on the sitcom Outnumbered led into a recurring role on ITV’s second run of Cold Feet, and after appearances on Silent Witness and Gentleman Jack the actress made her feature debut in the ‘90s-set indie drama Pond Life. However, while many are enjoying indie success before being catapulted into Star Wars or Marvel mega-franchise stardom, there is one new talent who has found a wholly original career path, playing roles that touch upon the extremities of human behaviour, good, evil and everything in-between: Daisy Edgar-Jones.Īlthough she was catapulted into fame by the success of BBC’s adaptation of Normal People, Edgar-Jones had been working for years before the source material had even been written by Sally Rooney. From Florence Pugh to Letitia Wright to Daisy Ridley, we are living in a golden age for young British actresses. The United Kingdom may be failing in many ways both economically and socially, yet there’s one part which has seen an incredible boom: that of young, talented female performers. Niall Glynn traces the journey of one of Britain’s most indomitable rising stars. It began in lockdown, but Daisy Edgar-Jones is ready to spread her wings around the world.
0 kommentar(er)
